A Little Ray of Sunshine
by Novi Zemog
Summary: Generations of Voodoo users have been born to the Bonnefe family, Ray is soon to be the heir. At eleven years old he receives a letter to Hogwarts, will his family let him go? And even if they do, will they let him stay when they realize there is a war brewing across the pond? It's not Ray's war to fight, he has another war waiting for him in the future. Cover Art by Georgypoo.
1. Down in New Orleans

**Novi Zemog: Chapter one of my entry to the First Writing Competition on Avelin's forum. This is meant to be a two shot and it introduces my RP character, Ray.**

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"Mawmaw, Rays gotta letter!" screamed a seven year old girl as she ran through her home. Her braided hair swung behind her as she held an envelope far from her body. Her older brother by four years chased after her, his hand stretched out to grab his sister's braids.

"Get back here Juju! That's my letter, stop touchin' stuff that ain't yours" he yelled after his sister as he chased her. Their grandmother, affectionately dubbed Mawmaw, was in the kitchen finishing up beignets peacefully when her two grandchildren crashed into the kitchen noisily. With loud crashes and a mushroom cloud of flour, the kids made their dynamic entry.

Ray was lying on the floor covered in flower with his sister, tangled up in a messy aftermath of sibling rivalry. His eyes spun and when his vision cleared up he was face to face with Mawmaw, her eyes covered by her small sunglasses. Mawmaw was blind, but everyone in the family knew she could see better than anyone.

"Ray Louis Bonnefe and June Claudette Bonnefe, what have I told you about ruinnin' in the house?" their grandmother scolded, Juju pulled herself from the powdery heap and pointed an accusing finger at her brother.

"Ray was tryin' to pull my hair!" she cried out, as if to divert their grandmother's anger to her brother. Ray looked indignant and sputtered.

"Was not! I was tryin' to stop her, little thief stole my mail!" he said as he snatched the envelope from her sister's hand. Juju cried out and tried to get the letter back from her brother. Mawmaw just shook her head.

"I was trying to give it to Mawmaw to check if it was safe, what if someone cursed it!" Juju cried as she wrestled with her brother. Mawmaw seemed to have enough of the children and plucked the envelope from Ray's hand.

"Well it's here, so yall can stop fighting." She said as she placed her fists on her hips. Ray and Juju immediately stopped fighting and stood with their hands behind their backs like little innocent angels. "I may not be able to see, but I still won't be fooled by those faces! Now go upstairs and clean up, Juju you know better than to steal so you're not allowed to visit your daddy's shop today. Ray your older than Juju, you should know better than to chase after little kids like that, for not coming to me first you have to clean up all this spilled flour." She said with finality.

Juju looked sad but was comforted by the thought of her brother having to clean the flower, while Ray looked irritated at being punished like a little kid. Both he and Juju left the kitchen and walked up the stairs, Ray was already planning to get out of cleaning up the spilled flour.

"I'll know if you make Yop do it Ray, I made him for you." said Mawmaw from downstairs. Ray flinched but continued up the stairs, there goes his plan. Juju turned to her brother and gave him a smug smile, which he returned with a raspberry. Eventually the two siblings raced each other up the stairs, pushing each other along the way. When they got to the top their mother was walking down the hallway in time to see their ghostly appearance. She stopped and stared before settling her hands on her hips with an eyebrow raised in her normal motherly manner. Her hair was in tiny tight braids (unlike Juju's two thick pigtails) that were long enough to reach her waist, her eyes were a charcoal color (like Mawmaw's used to be) and her clothing was a simple short sleeved shirt with jeans. Everything about her screamed 'mom' and she looked just as amused with her children as most moms were. "Do I wanna know?" she asked as she stared at her children's faces, they went from fearful to blank in seconds. The kids shook their head 'no' in sync, causing their mother to smirk. "Fine then, go clean up and even though I charmed the nursery mind your baby brother." Their mother said before she passed by them down the stairs.

The two kids quickly shot off to their rooms to shower and redress. As soon as Ray walked into his room a pencil flew by his head. Ray dodged and glared at the five inch voodoo doll that stood on his desk. He stared down the red beads that made Yop's eyes and flicked the yarn doll. "Stop playin' with my slingshot, Yop. You're gonna put someone's eye out like that." He said as he walked into the bathroom and showered. The doll stared at the bathroom door.

"Yop." said the doll through its stitch mouth. The bathroom door unlocked and popped open by the dolls magic. The doll hopped off the desk and ran into the bathroom. The powder covered clothes were on the floor in a messy heap. Yop shook his head at the sight, "Yop." called the doll, causing the clothes to levitate and enter the hamper. Ray continued to shower trying to get the power out of his hair while the doll continued to work.

Yop walked back into the room and picked out clothes for the boy. After placing them on the bed the doll hopped back on to the desk and sat on the edge in wait. A few minutes later Ray came from the bathroom with a towel on his waste muttering about annoying sisters. He changed quickly and began searching for something on his bed. "Yop, have you seen my wax?" he asked as he continued to search. Yop hopped up and picked up a round tin. It was gold with a bee on it and Yop gave a stitched smirk. "Yop I asked if you've-" A whiz caught his attention and he grabbed the tin before it hit his head. He glared at the doll before grabbing it and shoving Yop in his pocket roughly.

Ray silently waxed his hair while Yop laughed silently in his pocket. Ray walked out of his room, intentionally bumping his leg against the doorway. "Oops" he muttered with a smug smile as Yop struggled in his pocket. When he got down to the kitchen his mom was sitting reading the paper and his sister was already eating the beignets happily. Ray ignored the smirk his sister gave him and smiled to his mother.

"Ray the broom is right there." His mom said motioning to the broom with her coffee mug, not looking away from her paper. Ray glowered and cleaned the mess without complaint. Once he was done he sat down and Yop climbed up to his shoulder before hopping on the table. Juju stared at Yop before turning to her mother.

"When do I get a doll mom?" asked Juju as she set her cup of milk down and reached for Yop. The doll dodged before snapping at her with his toothless mouth. Juju pulled her hand away and stuck her tongue at the doll.

"When you're ready Juju." Her mother said as she set down the paper. She gave a smile to Yop who was pouring Ray a glass of orange juice. "Ray, Yop is not a slave, he's a companion." She chided.

"Well he makes a better servant than a friend, you know he was trying to get me with my own slingshot?" he asked before he took a drink of his orange juice. Yop placed a couple of beignets on Ray's plate and began to nibble on the bacon Ray's mother handed him. Ray glared at his mother for rewarding the little doll. Juju swallowed her mouthful and looked around curiously.

"Where's your doll mom?" asked Juju as she looked around. Her mom gave her a smile and took a quick sip of her coffee.

"Momo's watchin' George while he sleeps. Since you're not going to your daddy's shop today you're goin' to help me and Momo take care of your baby brother." She said. Juju looked sad at the mention of her punishment but brightened at the thought of taking care of her baby brother George. Her mom finished her food and Juju stuffed her face to catch up, following after mother up the stairs.

Ray finished his breakfast with Yop before collecting the plates and putting them in the sink. He walked outside on the patio to find his grandmother. She was currently napping with an unfinished muffin and tea resting on a small table that was next to Mawmaw's favorite chair. Ray approached cautiously and shook his grandmother slightly. Mawmaw's hair was grey and soft, encasing her head in a baby fro halo that made her look like an angel. Mawmaw shifted but didn't wake up. Her old worn orange doll sat at her feet snoozing as well. He nudged his grandma again.

"Huh…Ruthy whatizit?" she asked sleepily as she sat up. The doll (Ruthy) at her feet tumbled and rolled as Mawmaw shifted but didn't wake up at all.

"No Mawmaw it's me. Can I have my letter?" he asked hopefully. His grandmother turned to him and squinted behind her glasses, despite the fact she was blind.

"Oh little Ray, yeah I have your letter right here. It's from some fancy School in Scotland they wanna teach you some magic." She said as she shifted again in her seat, Ruthy still sleeping next to her shoes.

"But I already know magic. I can charm and make potions like pops and mom." He said as he read the letter, confused. His grandma nodded and smiled.

"But they want to teach you their magic. They think our magic is evil, they don't know voodoo like we do." She said with a laugh. Ray cracked a smile at the old joke and looked at the letter.

"They say reply by September first. Can I go?" he asked happily. His grandmother frowned.

"I don't think you should Ray, you might get into trouble if you use our magic. But it's your choice." She said as she leaned back into her chair, causing it to squeak. The doll still sleeping at her feet like the world didn't exist.

"It says I need a wand, mom has a wand, does that mean she went?" he asked. He'd seen his mom's wand before but she didn't use it a lot. Witch hazel, unicorn tail hair, 11 inches, he thought it was the coolest thing ever. He wondered what type of wand he could get. Mawmaw smiled but shook her head.

"Naw, Avril got a letter like that but she didn't want to leave NOLA. She loved it here too much, didn't want to leave her family behind, or your daddy." She said with a nostalgic smile.

"Mom knew dad when she was my age?" he asked confused. His grandma smiled.

"Whew, those two have been sweet on each other since they were Juju's age. Your daddy George had your momma's heart since the first time they met. But I thought you wanted to talk about you momma's schoolin' which was right here at home. Taught her myself." She said with a proud smile. Ray thanked Mawmaw for the talk and walked down the street with the letter in hand. He passed the other large houses and eventually got to the main street. People played music, danced and preformed for tourist's money. He passed them all handing some cash to ones he liked. Some thanked him for the money; others performed special moves or announced it.

Eventually he made it to a purple painted shop with a top hat, rabbit and purple smoke on the sign. It was George's Magic Shop, but some people called it the Voodoo House. Ray walked in the shop, taking in the charmed objects that people didn't believe was real magic. "Pops!" he called when he didn't see anyone at the counter. A minute later his father's head pocked out from behind the beads that blocked off the back area.

"Hey Ray, Juju here with you?" he asked as he stepped out with a large box. He set down the box on the purchase counter with a grunt.

"Naw, Juju's with mom and Mom taking care of Jr." Ray said as he pulled himself onto the counter. His dad opened the box to reveal 'magic' cards. Ray smiled as he pulled out a deck. "You gonna charm them or you gonna sell them regular?" he asked kicking his legs from the counter. His dad smiled at him and chuckled.

"I'll charm them, just like I always do. Maybe I'll let you help me if your mom lets you get a wand." He said as he pulled out his own wand. Ray's father used his wand a lot more than his mom, he used it to charm the toys he had at his shop and on special events he'd put on a show for tourists. Ironwood, dragon heartstring, 12 inches; still one of the coolest things about his dad.

"About that…dad did you ever go to a school called Hogwarts?" he asked curiously, his dad turned to him.

"No, but your uncle Alphonse went. Now he's some big shot in Ireland playin' quidditch signin' his name on photos 'Alphonse Facilier'." He said with a proud smile.

"I didn't know Uncle Al was famous! But I always wondered why do you have different names? Uncle is Facilier but you're a Bonnefe." Ray said as his face twisted in though. His dad laughed and patted Ray's head, who frowned at the gesture.

"Facilier used to be my last name. When I married your mother I took her name." George explained. Ray was still confused.

"Why didn't you keep your name when you married mom? I thought the mom takes the dad's name." he said. His father's smile faltered.

"You see son. My name wasn't a good name. A long time ago, back in the twenties, my great grand uncle, known then as Dr. Facilier by some and the shadow man by others. Well he made a deal with dark spirits on the other side. He was supposed to collect the soul of a prince, but failed to do so. Either way the spirits needed a soul and they took his. From that day on the Facilier name was cursed and scorned. I'd rather have your mother's name then have you judged because of mine." He said solemnly, his grin gone by the end of the story. Ray sat there and he immediately sobered. One didn't just make a deal with the spirits on the other side. It was dangerous and stupid, Mawmaw said that all the time.

"Why would he do that?" he asked as he looked from his feet to his dad. His father had a sad look in his eyes but his face didn't reveal a thing.

"Our family was poor. If he got the prince, the jealous servant who would pose as the prince would have paid him handsomely. Instead of providing for his family like he wanted, he ended up ruining the family name." he said with a sigh. Ray pursed his lips.

"But he wanted to do well by his kin, isn't that important?" he asked. His father again gave a sad smile and patted his head.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions son." He said as he began to take out the cards. "Now enough of that, I need help with the shop."

Ray immediately brightened again and helped his dad, eventually forgetting about the letter in his pocket with Yop.

It was night and Ray was being carried by his father piggy back style. He was half asleep when he heard his father strain. George shifted his son again and grunted. "You're getting' too big for this son." He said softly with a chuckle. Ray grumbled something sleepily and his father smiled. Once they were in the house his father gave up and just levitated his son to his room and tucked him in. With the kids asleep, George tiredly walked back to his room.

His wife was already asleep and he gave a smile. Not even bothering to change out of his clothes, he flopped on the bed and kicked off his shoes. Avril immediately awoke to her husband's intrusion, she sleepily rubbed her eyes and smiled at her husbands tired figure. "Didja hear that Ray got a letter for that Hogwarts school?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep. George nodded into his pillow.

"I was suspectin' that, been askin' about it a t the shop." He said. Avril propped herself on an elbow, almost fully awake.

"Well, if wantsta go, should we let him?" she asked. Her husband sighed and turned to face her.

"If he really wants to go, who're we ta stop him?" he asked, his dark brown eyes staring at his wife. She gave a smile and pecked him on the lips.

"I guess so; he'll go even if we said no. He's stubborn like that. Juju's gonna miss him though; no matter how much they fight she loves her brother. But he's gonna miss little George growin' up." She sighed.

"He'll be here on breaks don't worry." He said. His wife gave him a smile and kissed him again. They settled down for sleep and were drifting into dreamland…when baby George made his presence known on the monitor. "Not it." George said with a smirk. His wife huffed and got out of bed to tend to the baby.


	2. Are You Ready?

**Novi Zemog: Chapter two of my entry to the First Writing Competition on Avelin's forum. This is meant to be a two shot and it introduces my RP character, Ray.**

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The next morning all family members sat at the table eating bacon and eggs for breakfast, well except for baby George who was being fed some odd goop he liked to throw everywhere. Even the dad was at the table, he normally left early to work at the shop, but today was a Sunday so there was no work. Mawmaw was eating her own oatmeal, shooting Ray smiles as he nervously looked at his mom and dad. He was trying to gather up the courage to speak, and he caught Mawmaw's encouraging nod. With that, he decided it was now or never.

"Mom, Pops; I got something to say." He stated with his chin tilted in faux confidence. His parent shared a knowing look, that was missed by their nervous son, but pretended not to know.

"Yes?" George asked keeping a straight face. Ray looked like he was going to throw up but he still stood tall.

"IwannagotoHogwarts." He said quickly before sitting down and stuffing his face.

"Okay." His mother said simply, Ray choked on his eggs and Juju hit his back trying to help. He took a drink of orange juice to wash down the food.

"Huh?" he asked confused, both his parents grinned and laughed. Ray pouted but waited till they were done.

"Sorry son. But that was too good to ignore." His father said as his laughing calmed. His mother let out a few more giggles, almost sending her husband into another fit.

"We talked about it last night. Even though we'd like it if you stayed here, we'll let you go to magic school." Avril said, this caused Juju to spit out her milk. Mawmaw scolded her on spitting at the table and Juju wiped her mouth.

"Magic school? I wanna go!" Juju exclaimed. Her brother shot her an annoyed look and she just stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm sorry Juju; you can't go, at least not yet. You usually get your Hogwarts letter when you're eleven." Her father said. Juju pouted but didn't argue.

"They just wanna get a voodoo user there to learn our secrets. Now I don't want you teachin' the family voodoo to no one. If someone gets our secrets and uses them for evil we'll be to blame." Mawmaw said. His parents nodded as well.

"Your mom didn't teach me the family magic till were married at least a year. And even then I don't know all of it." His father said. Ray nodded, he vowing to never betray his family. Juju was still pouting about not being able to go to magic school like her brother. Avril placed a kind hand on her daughters shoulder.

"Don't worry Juju; you'll get a letter too. Who knows, maybe by the time it's here you don't even want to go." She said, Juju wasn't entirely comforted but she smiled at her mom anyways.

"Well that settles it; well go over to Mr. Kane's to get you a wand." Mawmaw said happily. His parents smiled and Juju asked if she could go.

"Of course you can go. But you could always stay with your daddy and baby brother while we're out." Her mother suggested. Juju shook her head, making her braids whip around.

"No, I wanna see Ray get a wand." She said stubbornly, her parents laughed.

"Alright then. Let's head out, George could you handle the dishes?" asked Mawmaw as she stood up.

"Sure Mawmaw." He said as he began to collect the dishes. Avril gave her husband a kiss on the cheek and baby George a kiss on the forehead. With a loud whoop both Ray and Juju ran to the door.

Mawmaw and their mother followed behind them but Mawmaw immediately took over and began leading them far into the bayous of Louisiana. "Mr. Kane live in an old tree in the bayou, and I'm gonna lead you there blind or not I know my way." She said as the got on the boat. The rest of the family got on and both Mawmaw and Avril got a paddle, Mawmaw in the front and Avril in the back.

The trees were gnarled and water was this and green, occasionally and alligator popped his head out to watch them. Eventually they made it to a large hollowed out tree that looked like it was converted into a hut. An old wrinkled man with snow white hair slept in a rocking chair on his porch/dock, a walking stick in his grip as he snored. Ray tapped Juju on the shoulder.

"Do you think this is the right old man that lives in a tree in the bayou?" he whispered. Juju just giggled and shrugged. Mawmaw tied the boat to the dock when they got close enough and got off the boat. The rest followed her example and got on the dock. The man still slept and Mawmaw walked open to him.

"Well, well, well, Michael Kane. Sleepin' on the job isn't good for business." She said with a laugh. The old man stirred and jumped up. His swamp green eyes confused.

"Ehwah? Oh Theresa, good to see you. And you brought the family. So Avril your wand need fixin'?" he asked as he rested on his cane. It looked like a twisted branch but Ray could feel the power coming from it.

"No, my son Ray is here for his first wand." She said as she lightly pushed Ray forward. Ray held out his hand politely.

"Hello sir, I'm Ray Louis Bonnefe. It's nice to meet you." He said politely. Mr. Kane grinned and shook his hand.

"Just call me Mr. Kane, Ray." He said as he let go. He turned to Theresa with a confused gaze. "Now I know the Bonnefe family was strong but I didn't think he'd be needin' a wand this young. Ain't that a bit too advanced for him?" he asked. Ray frowned, not liking that Mr. Kane was talking as if he wasn't there. Mawmaw smiled at Mr. Kane.

"Usually, but he's goin' to magic school. They require a wand over there." She said. Mr. Kane shook his head.

"Wands are dangerous. People shouldn't be givin' their chilun a wand." He said. Ray's frown got even deeper.

"Well that's why he's goin' to school, so he can learn to be safe with one." Mawmaw said. Mr. Kane frowned.

"Alright, I usually would say no. But since you have such a pretty grandma I'll do this as a favor." He said with a wink in Mawmaw's direct, even though she couldn't see it.

"Oh Michael, you sweet talker." Mawmaw said with a blush. Both Ray and Juju pretended to gag; it was weird to see Mawmaw flirt, especially since their granddad died when Ray was a baby. Mr. Kane all led them inside his home where he had random logs and weird stuff in jars.

"Well Ray, look around and bring me a log of wood and one thing in the vial that calls to you." Mr. Kane said. Ray nodded and began to wander, touching stuff until he found a brownish log and a weird claw in a jar. He handed them to Mr. Kane who inspected them and smiled. "Well I'll have it done in a week, no worries about comin' here to pick it up. I'll mail it." He said.

A bit disappointed he wasn't leaving with a wand he and his family went home to enjoy the rest of their Sunday. There was no trip to get all his things since all of it could be ordered. Ray got his grandfather's old trunk and Mawmaw made his robes. Eventually his books arrived by owl (the bird tried to eat Yop) and his wand arrived. Ray opened the box to see his wand, it had cool designs carved in it, and Mawmaw said they were symbols to stop thieves from stealing it. It came with a card that said what type of wand it was. It said 'Dogwood, American Gryphon claw core, 13 inches, jack of all trades type, good for everything but specialization.' The box also had an even smaller card that had just one sentence on it. 'Be careful Ray.-Mr. Kane' He was ready and he took a plane to London the day before the train took off.

He was supposed to meet his Uncle Al, but he'd never met him before so he was nervous. The plane ride was nice and easy and when he got off he looked around the terminal worried. Yop was still asleep in his pocket and his trunk was starting to feel heavy. Eventually he spotted a tall man holding a sign with his name on it. The man looked a lot like his dad so he guessed that was his uncle.  
He walked up nervously to the man and waved. The man smiled at him. "So you my Uncle Al?" Ray asked nervously. The man smiled and laughed before bowing theatrically.

"Alphonse Facilier at your service. I'm guessing you're Ray?" he asked. Ray nodded excitedly before hugging his uncle.

"It's great to meet you; you have a cool accent and everything." Ray said as he pulled away from his uncle who was still laughing again.

"Thanks for the compliment kid but here, it's you who has the accent." He said. He and Ray chatted about the family as they walked out and hailed a cab. Ray now started ranting about how Juju was annoying and how he hoped his baby brother wouldn't grow up to be annoying when they finally stopped at a pub. Ray looked confused but got his trunk from the cab and followed his uncle. The pub was dingy and cold. Ray's face twisted a bit.

"Why are we here? This place is messy and the magic feels weird here." He said aloud. Some people threw him dirty looks at his rudeness but his uncle smiled.

"We're going to be staying here for the night, and then I'll take you to the train station tomorrow." His uncle Al said. Ray didn't complain and let his uncle check them in. After that was done they made their way up to a room that had two beds and had seen some better days. At this point Ray didn't have the energy to complain and just fell asleep when his body hit the bed. Alphonse chuckled at his nephew and took off his shoes. He covered ray with a blanket and a warming charm before doing the same for himself so he could sleep.

The next morning Ray was being shaken awake. "Juju it's too early, get outa my room." He grumbled as he swatted at his sister. Instead of hearing his sister complain he heard the deep chuckle of his uncle.

"Ray come one we've got to get ready." Alphonse said as he shook his nephew again. Ray jumped out of bed and ran to his trunk. He changed as quickly as possible (though he may have tripped a couple of times).

"I'm ready." He said as he fixed his shirt. His uncle watched him with a smile.

"Okay let's go. He said as he led him from the Leaky Cauldron to the outside, where they hailed another cab to take them to Kings Cross.

"So what's it like?" Ray asked. His uncle smiled.

"It's old, cold, and really interesting. Just wait till you see the paintings, and the ceiling of the Great Hall. You'll love it there." came Alphonse's vague answer. Ray asked several other questions but each of the answers was extremely vague. By the end of the trip Ray was pouting and Alphonse had a smirk on his face. Alphonse now saw why old people were so vague, it was fun. They walked into the crowded station where they bumped into unpleasant and weird people who seemed to be in a hurry. There was a whale of a man whose face was an odd color of puce, his wife was horse faced with a long neck and their son seemed to be the last white rhino. They shoved past Ray and his uncle, the mustached man muttering to himself about freaks. Ray turned to his uncle ion confusion. "Well that was odd." He said to his uncle who just nodded in agreement and looked back at the weird people as the left. Eventually the got to a wall and Ray stared at his uncle in confusion.

"This wall here is the entrance to platform 9 ¾ it's disguised so people who aren't magic can't just waltz in here and blow our cover. All you need to do is just walk through, I'll go first." Alphonse said, and then he walked through the barrier. He waited on the other side and Ray followed. Ray stared at the crowd before him seeing a large family of red heads and another small family of blondes.

"Wow they're all so pale." He said in astonishment, he knew it wasn't all that bright here but he didn't think these people would be so pasty. The only dark people were black like him and there was like 2 for every 15 white people.

"You'll get used to it." His uncle said as he patted his shoulder. The train's whistle blew and Ray gave his uncle a hug goodbye. Once Ray got onto the train he found an empty compartment in the back and sat down. He slightly wished he could have spent more time with his uncle and got to know him better. Yop climbed out of his pocket and sat on his shoulder. With a lurch, the train began to move and Ray sat looking out the window wondering what was going to happen at Hogwarts.


End file.
